Okay, ignoring all other messages. I've had mine for 6 months now. Everything it is and isn't has been mostly shocking, terrifying and amazing. This little monster (with twisted colour) is capable to fly you into spaces and dimensions you have _never_ seen before. And hey, who the hell needs sleep anyway? With this... this... thing you can spend many nights, days... and months travelling around different worlds... (Okay okay, the manual was a great success to make you angry, but I burned it anyway...). This synth is spiritual leader (to heaven or hell or whatever). Please, ignore all opinions flashing around you - try it out yourself!

Rating: 4 out of 5
posted Sunday-Oct-10-1999 at 19:51

Eric LaSalle
a part-timer user
from Canoga Park ,Los Angeles
writes:

Finally got a Fizmo. What do you want to know? How about it's shortcomings- (That I've noticed in the 2 weeks I've had it)

1) Only 1 set of outputs- no external FX routing here. AND there's NO distortion algorithm. You *cant* overload the wack filter, and it doesnt even sound smooth or creamy or even grungy. 2) Vocoder is so so so so wack. I have tweaked it soooo much but the presets all sound the same. Ensoniq says they won't release updated programs for it. You *cant* change parameters for each of the 4 bands and it's a PITY! Everything else on the Fizmo is hard to modify and the vocoder is PAINFULL. 3) Only one LFO- Not a big deal, but 2 would be nice. 4) The arpegiator has routinely glitched while stepping through the synth parts. It will choke and play the same note over and over. The fix?- There is no fix, besides junking it like Jonathon Taylor Thomas did. 5) Realtime record in monophonic mode doesn't work correctly. IE- if your just playing, you hold down "C", press "A", release "A" , "C" is played. (You're still holding it down) If you real-time record, the last "C" isn't played.

Now , the good things about it...

-

--

Wooops there are none.

This thing is so so wack and I am practically crying because I was looking forward to it. WHY DIDN"T SOME BODY WARN ME!!!!???

Rating: 1 out of 5
posted Sunday-Oct-10-1999 at 18:55

a part-timer user
from Los Angeles, CA
writes:

I'm finding this whole FIZMO bashing session incredible. I'm reading post after post from people who aparently bought this thing without ever having tried it out first. If you are upset because this synth doesn't sound like other synths, then why the hell did you buy it in the first place and not these other "miracle" synths? If you want "phat", go eat a cheeseburger.

I tried this thing out first before plunking down my hard earned cash. Sounds silly, I know, actually buying something you are familiar with. If you wanted a 303, why didn't you just buy one? They're cheaper than the FIZMO. And they also let you make sounds just like the ones on all those spiffy "electronica" CD's.

Rating: 5 out of 5
posted Sunday-Oct-10-1999 at 03:30

Card Holerith
a professional user
from Berlin /Germany
writes:

I see everyone as pissed as I am about this rubbish . My nephew from the United States sent me a used Fizmo since he didn't want it anymore. The whole time I was wondering why he was sending me his Fizmo all the way over here in Berlin. I was very much looking forward to it. It arrived a few hours ago. I now see why my nephew didn't want it. (THANKS MARTIN: ) It is taking up too much space so I have returned it to it's box and sending it to my friend Lasse. I have no use for this. I was expecting a synthesizer . This sounds like those cheap samples that come out of a greeting card when you open it. Most of the presets sound like a crappy digital watch alarm going over and over. If you move the knobs it makes the sound worse and the vocoder sounds like those toys that came with the He Man and Skeletor playset. All it does is add a stupid saxaphone sample in the back of your voice and the most you can do is add MORE saxophone. Why would you want do spend ANY money on this when you could just go out and buy some glasses and fill them up with different amounts of water and wet your fingers and rub the edges. It would be a whole lot funner. This toy keyboard is only good for learning how to play mary had a little lamb or chopsticks on. After that you will never use it again. I can see also that during the shipping process I have several dents and there is a noise and things rattling inside. I think it might break if I use it again. Well Im not. It's back in the box on it's way to Lasse . I hope he doesn't get too upset .

Rating: 1 out of 5
posted Saturday-Oct-09-1999 at 04:30

a part-timer user
from Los Angeles, USA
writes:

Just picked up a FIZMO for about $499, and though I've only been using it for a short amount of time, I'd be happy with it at twice the price. Everything that folks are claiming are its weaknesses I see as its strengths. Bleeps and blurbs? Actually this thing could use more of 'em! I've been spending some time trying to isolate those weird clicking percussion sounds that lurk underneath a lot of the presets. Of course I have to confess that I used to have a 303 back in the day and got really bored with it. I use reBirth as well, but god I wish I could get rid of the 303's and replace them with something a bit more FIZMO-ish. Honestly, I'm tired of predictable analogue synths. This FIZMO thing is an odd one, capable of generating sounds ranging from soft, gorgeous tones to bizarre LSD inspired carnival music.

The manual needs a bit of fleshing out, and I'm surprised that a synth that lists for almost $1,500 doesn't have a built in floppy for storing your own sounds or updating the OS. It's also embarassingly ugly.

Ccc..Click, bleep, blooop

Two Lone Swordsmen, "Stay Down", very nice CD. Has a kind of FIZMO feel to it at times. Check it out and you'll understand why I like this keyboard.